Pregnancy and Asthma

Pregnancy is a very exciting time in a women’s life. During pregnancy a lot of changes occur in a women’s body. She may feel tired, uncomfortable one day and healthy, energetic and happy the next day. The last thing you need is an asthma attack. Asthma during pregnancy is one the most common conditions that can complicate pregnancy. It can also affect those women’s also who had never experienced it before. Asthma in pregnancy if it is treated effectively can lead to healthy delivery. However, if the asthma is not cured properly then it can have a negative effect on the fetus of the pregnant women as well as on her baby. Also, it can give rise to some of the following problems:

· It can lead to high blood pressure.
· It can lead to complications during the time of pregnancy.
· It can have a severe effect on the kidneys, lungs, brain, liver, etc.

A large majority of women who suffer from asthma attack in pregnancy have perfectly normal and healthy babies. However, if the asthma is not controlled then it can result into too little oxygen getting to the baby, which in turn increases the risk of low birth weight.

For the safe and sound pregnancy, women suffering from asthma must follow the medical health plan given by her doctor as well as take the prescribed medications. The austerity of asthma varies from one women to other women. Asthma can attack the pregnant women during the seventeen to twenty four weeks of the pregnancy. A pregnant women must try out the following things in order to avoid asthma:

· She must immediately stop the consumption of alcohol and cigarettes.
· She must avoid stress and anxiety as it may trigger an asthma attack
· She must reduce the intake of caffeine.
· She must go for the blood test of various other diseases such as chicken pox, HIV, hepatitis B, etc.
· She must avoid strong smelling deodorants, perfumes and paints.
· She must continue taking the medications prescribed by the doctor.

Asthma Medications and Pregnancy
Asthma treatment in pregnancy is very much essential. Most asthma medications during pregnancy are safe. The risk of uncontrolled asthma is far greater than the risks to fetus or mother from the medications used to control asthma. The various researches’ undertaken does not provide a very clear picture that any of drug used to cure asthma can lead to any problems during the time of pregnancy. One thing that can be done is that the pregnant women should be provided with the proper knowledge about the maintenance of asthma, proper use of inhalers, asthma prevention, etc. There are many asthma medicines or drugs that are considered safe for the women’s infected with asthma such as budesonide, Corticosteroid tablets, formoterol, theophylline, etc. Besides, there are several other medicines that should be avoided by the pregnant women’s such as tetracycline, aspirin, iodides, etc.
Note: It is advisable that the pregnant women must take the asthma medicines only after the prescribed guidance of the doctor.

Smoking in pregnancy leads to asthma in children later on

Smoking during pregnancy is associated with wheeze and asthma in preschool children, a new study has found.

The conditions also occured where the child was not exposed to maternal smoking in late pregnancy or after birth.

The study, led by Dr Ã…sa Neuman of Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, reviewed data on 21,600 children, including 735 who were exposed to maternal smoking only during pregnancy.

“Epidemiological evidence suggests that exposure to maternal smoking during fetal and early life increases the risk of childhood wheezing and asthma, but earlier studies were not able to differentiate the effects of prenatal and postnatal exposure,” said Dr Neuman.

The study adjusted the data for sex, parental education, parental asthma, birth weight and siblings, and found that maternal smoking only during pregnancy was associated with increased risks for wheeze and asthma between the ages of four and six.

“These children were at increased risk for wheeze and asthma at preschool age. Furthermore, the likelihood of developing wheeze and asthma increased in a significant dose-response pattern in relation to maternal cigarette consumption during the first trimester,” he added.

“These results indicate that the harmful effects of maternal smoking on the fetal respiratory system begin early in pregnancy, perhaps before the woman is even aware that she is pregnant,” Dr Neuman said. “Teens and young women should be encouraged to quit smoking before getting pregnant,” Dr Neuman said.

The findings are published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Yahoo Lifestyle